Monthly Archives: October 2011

The Tolleson NGC photos were taken at Heritage Square Park by Noemi A. Gonzalez; Trevor Thompson, Raymond S. Kellis’s NGC Multi-Media Leader, contributed with the photos taken at the NGC Meeting last year along with pictures of RSK’s NGC team from last year.

This blog was posted and written by Noemi A. Gonzalez, freshman at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications – ASU

As this year begins to wrap up, four New Global Citizens teams across the valley demonstrate that for them, the year is only getting started.

Chandler, Ariz.:

Basha High School’s NGC Team is focusing on raising awareness among their Chandler community and among their peers about the Snowland Service Group located in China. The Snowland Service Group (SSG) deals with Extreme Poverty and Hunger, Universal Education, Environmental Sustainability, and Natural Disasters, and its partner Global Fund for Children allows for SSG to be successful. SSG has been successful in 258 villages in six different counties, and for every $100 raised by teams across the nation, SSG is able to provide scholarships for juniors and seniors in high school to further their education. Thus, just recently, Basha NGC participated in the Basha High School’s Homecoming Carnival. The team set up a vendor booth where the members sold 86 bags of popcorn with SSG printed on the label around the popcorn bag.

“The carnival went great!” said Tatian Serome, Advocacy Leader, via Facebook. “We raised forty-three dollars and sold eighty-six bags of popcorn with the name ‘Snowland Service’ on them.”

Seton Catholic High School, also located in Chandler, Ariz., has a returning team as well that is preparing to reach out to the school on November 9 with a movie night to educate students and administrators about Schools on Wheels. As David De La Cruz said through a phone conversation, the team is hoping to bring awareness about global education, how to reduce poverty, and the importance of clean, safe water. With the movie night well on its way, Seton NGC is focusing, for now, on trying to further set up the leadership roles within its team, which consists of about 20-25 team members.

Tuscon, Ariz.:

University High School Tuscon’s team is well on its way on deciding which project to support this year. An exciting yet heart wrenching moment they’re about to experience, UH Tuscon NGC is having members nominate projects, so the team can choose among the top three most popular and then vote among those. Nothing will be sweeter than the taste of democracy for UH Tuscon NGC in the upcoming weeks!

Glendale, Ariz.:

Raymond S. Kellis High School’s NGC is back again and more focused than ever. This year, RSK NGC, according to Trevor Thompson, will be focusing on the outreach to businesses within the community while educating the community, as well. Last year, this dedicated team held 3 fundraisers. 1. They sold hot chocolate in the mornings around December raising about $100 2. For Valentine’s Day, they sold cut-out paper hearts that individuals could decorate and then put on a wall that the team so cleverly named “Send Your Love to Africa”, raising another $100 3. Around April, the team began a “Change for Change” project that consisted of members wearing a cup-necklace around their neck, in which they took donations in, raising about $300. They were also featured on their school’s announcements and were able to broadcast a video about their then project.

Tolleson, Ariz.:

Two weeks ago, Tolleson NGC participated at the monthly First Fridays event at Heritage Square Park where they sold hand-crafted duct tape wallets, hair clips, bookmarks and headbands. They raised about $60.

“We were able to educate at least 30 people that night, if not more. The night was slow, but we caught up to people!” said Shirley Springer via an email interview. “An interesting story from that night was that we actuallty had a very nice lady come up to the table to purchase things and we started telling her about what NGC does, and why we were handmaking our merchandise, and she actually asked for our contact info. because she wanted to help us with supplies and getting the word out among her friends.”

She also said, “I feel that night went spectalularly well because we were able to raise a good amount of money and members who showed up to support the event were able to bond as we were all there for a common pupose and had moments which allowed us to have our own fun. I am most proud of the fact that people actually showed interest in what we were doing and complimented us for doing something so great for international communities. It really felt good to know that people cared about the amazing effort the team has put into our work so far.”

Some events to look forward to are Poetry Night, Documentary Night and Brazilian Culture Night. Poetry Night is expected to take place November 10, and the Brazilian Culture Night is expected to take place December 2. A date for Doc. Night is still being deliberated.

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After one year as an NGC mentor I cant help but feel like a proud parent as I start meeting with teams again and seeing how much they have grown. Last year my encounters with leaders were full of shy faces that did not where to begin. This year the girls and boys are NGC pros; their clubs are already meeting, choosing their projects and planning events without having to ask me any questions. It is easy to tell that they have matured incredibly, and are more confident in their leadership skills. As they share with me their hopes for college, and as I talk to others who have moved on already to college, I am extremely proud of their work and of the impact NGC can have on someone’s life.

This summer I was fortunate enough to travel to Kigali, Rwanda where I too had a growing experience thanks to NGC. Kigali is home to one of NGC’s partner organizations, Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (CHABHA). This non-profit grassroots org funds four associations that are dedicated to providing children orphaned by HIV/AIDS with life skills work shops, HIV prevention classes, recreational gatherings, scholarships and more. Being a part of NGC allowed me to go live in Kigali for five weeks and work alongside CHABHA staff members. My experience volunteering with dedicated and selfless CHABHA staff members, hearing the stories of all the association members, and learning about Rwandan culture was extremely educational and fulfilling. CHABHA is now putting together a program in Kigali for young students to execute projects at the associations while staying with Rwandan families. This internship program would create yet another avenue for NGC members to expand their knowledge on global issues, and I really hope students take advantage of it.

With so many experienced leaders continuing with NGC this year I know we will have amazing results. Diamond Bar, Los Alamitos, Gunn, Independence, Calabasas, Irvington, Lick Wilmerding, and Troy HS all returned after raising thousands of dollars for various projects last year. Covina, Mitty, and Mills HS are three new teams that registered. Already most of these teams are hosting meetings, recruiting members, and choosing projects. Some projects that teams have chosen are the Solar Cooker Project in Malawi and the Center for Regional Development in Nicaragua. After witnessing these students do AMAZING things last year I cannot wait to see what is to come in the next couple months. 🙂